But what happened next had everyone’s attention.
Bess felt the enormous explosion from the building Gio had run into shock and pulse through her entire body.
Bess and Noah didn’t hesitate. They got closer to the danger zone to see what they could do. Bess hoped Gio hadn’t been caught up in the explosion; he had to be okay.
But her hopes were dashed as she and Noah saw two firefighters drag one of their crew away from the danger zone, away from where the explosion had happened.
One of their men was down.
And Bess knew before she even reached the casualty’s side that it was Gio.
‘Explosion knocked him off his feet,’ another firefighter yelled amongst the mayhem. ‘Silly bugger went in there against orders.’
A young woman who didn’t look much older than twenty was crying nearby, watching the scene unfold; a road paramedic was trying to check her over and would call Bess or Noah if they were needed.
Flames still billowed from the rear of the building, the fire crews were still tackling what needed to be done, the officer in charge cursing at Mayhan’s disobedience.
And all of Bess’s attention right now went to Gio. Her good friend, Gio – kind, strong and stupidly stubborn.
Every second counted.
‘What are the chances of another explosion?’ Noah asked the officer in charge loudly over the commotion.
‘Highly unlikely but never impossible,’ he shouted back. ‘Do what you can for him. Please.’ And he shoved his emotions back down and went on with his own job, directing his own crew.
Bess went through the motions. It was as if muscle memory told her what to do, had her doing her checks, reaching for equipment, conversing with Noah.
Gio was mumbling on and off and his pain level was clearly severe. From examination, it appeared injuries were confined to the lower limbs, mainly his left leg. His face was covered in soot, mud, or a mixture of both and for once, Bess didn’t want to see his smile because that would make this even harder. She was doing her best to not think about the sound of the explosion, the thought of Gio being knocked flying by a force he hadn’t seen coming.
In a bid to get him to talk more, to assess his pain levels more accurately and maybe ascertain what happened from him which could bring to light new information, she put a hand on his. ‘Gio, it’s Bess.’ Her heart thumped more than it had at the thought of her stupidity, her mounting debt. Self-induced problems rather than a hero taking a battering he absolutely did not deserve. ‘Can you hear me, Gio?’
He groaned.
‘We’re going to take good care of you,’ Noah put in because Bess said nothing else; she’d frozen.
But not for long. She snapped into action again, and so did Noah.
They wouldn’t rush; rushing could compromise their patient and so it was vital they took one step at a time. An apparent injury could mask another so it was important to be thorough. They did their observations – ECG, oxygen saturations, blood pressure, temperature – and administered paracetamol and morphine.
But it did little for his pain.
‘We’d like to give you something a bit stronger,’ Bess explained to Gio.
But Gio’s response this time was clear. ‘No.’
Bess leaned over him. ‘What do you mean, no? It’ll help. We need to stabilise your leg, Gio, and believe me, it will be better if you have some stronger pain relief.’
He gave another grunt.
He may not have even understood about his leg; it wasn’t obvious he knew there was anything wrong other than that he was lying on the ground in pain.
Noah and Bess got Gio onto the scoop once he had blocks at either side of his head as well as the c-collar to support the spinal cord and head. The sound of him in distress didn’t make the job any easier as Bess used the scissors from her kit bag and cut off the clothing covering the lower half of Gio’s body.
‘He’s in so much pain,’ she reiterated to Noah. It didn’t help that he was trying to move his body rather than letting them take control. She wondered whether Gio was trying to be macho in front of her and that’s why he was refusing the extra pain relief.
The fire officer in charge, who introduced himself as Bruce, came over and recapped on what he’d seen happen. While he talked, Bess administered antibiotics for Gio, necessary because of all the dirt and debris around the compound fracture to hiskneecap which was likely the result of hitting it against the concrete as he landed on the ground.
According to Bruce, Gio had gone back into the building, against orders, because one of the onlookers insisted a young woman was still inside. There was some disagreement as to whether she was or wasn’t but Gio hadn’t cared about that; he’d not wanted to risk leaving anyone behind. And he’d come out with her in his arms, put her down outside the building and as they walked away, he’d been the one at the rear. The explosion had knocked him off his feet. The young woman hadn’t been caught in the blast at all.
